The court heard on August 12 last year Wright walked into a police station in Melbourne’s east, claiming to have just been robbed by two men in a park after using an automated teller machine in Preston.

“An investigation into the report identified that the incident had not occurred, police prosecutor Senior Constable Paul Harris said.

Wright was later interviewed in Warrnambool, where she gave different reasons for being in the Melbourne area.

Defence counsel Kathryn Moloney said it was unclear why her client had made the false claims, but said Wright had an intellectual disability.

She said her client was a frequent but “vulnerable” offender whose finances were controlled by a state trustee.

Wright had dealt with issues of homelessness and was living at a hotel, Ms Moloney said.

Magistrate Peter Mellas was sympathetic to the accused’s circumstances but said she had wasted valuable police time.